Safely Trap Spotted Laternflies

A Tree of Heaven (Alianthus) with two rows of insect shield tape. The black dots on the white tape are all Spotted Lanternfly nymphs.

Gaudy Spotted Lanternflies go through several life stages (or instars) before becoming the flying pests we know so well. June and July is the perfect time to use special insect shield tape to capture and kill them in their nymph stage, before they can become voracious adults.

The first three stages (or instars) of the life cycle of Spotted Lantern Fly are  small black-and-white spotted insects that look nothing like the adult flying insects we see in late summer and fall. 

Spotted Lanternfly nymphs climb up and down tree trunks.  Trapping them with tape designed specifically for this purpose is the easiest and the most ecologically safe way to eliminate them.  (Glue sticky tape for trapping mice should NEVER be used as it can trap small mammals and birds.)

1.  First, choose a vertical tree trunk well away from blooming plants and tall vegetation.

The right location for the tape will avoid trapping beneficial insects like native bees and butterflies.  Tree of Heaven trees (Alianthus), the Spotted Lanternfly’s favorite host, are ideal.

2.  Wrap the trunk with a ring of tape, sticky side out, about five feet above the ground.  Overlap the ends firmly to secure the ring.  There is no need to staple or pin the tape ring to the tree.

On big trees it is helpful to have two people - one to hold the beginning of the ring in place while the other person wraps it around to meet.

3. Make a second ring of tape a few inches above the first.  This will catch more nymphs as the first ring fills.

4. Monitor your tape trap to ensure you are trapping only SLF nymphs. 

While our supplies last, the South Midwood Pollinators have free insect shield tape to use in Flatbush Brooklyn. To contact us, write southmidwoodpollinators@gmail.com and put SLF Tape in the subject line.